Creating bootable images in a GUI
A Kinder dd
© Photo by Matthew T Rader on Unsplash
Kindd offers a GUI alternative to the ubiquitous dd command-line tool, offering a risk-free option for transferring bootable images to USB sticks.
When it comes to managing Linux computers, two frequently used commands, rm (remove) and dd (disk dump), require special attention. These two very powerful tools are potentially destructive. If they are not used carefully, data can be very quickly lost. While rm has an integrated emergency brake for the root partition, dd overwrites specified partitions without asking, causing some users to interpret dd's name as an acronym for "destroy data."
To prevent specifying the wrong partition (and the resulting data loss), graphical user interface (GUI) tools can be helpful for creating bootable distribution images on external media, such as USB sticks or SD cards. In addition to some distribution-specific solutions, these tools include UNetbootin [1], which is not supported by all distributions; Rufus [2], which is only available for Windows; and Etcher [3], which has gained in popularity recently. Because these applications only offer external devices as options for where to write the data, users are prevented from accidentally overwriting partitions.
The basically excellent Etcher can be used on almost all distributions due to its packaging as an AppImage. However, since it was developed with the Electron framework [4], it needs many dependencies, which inflate the AppImage's size to about 100MB.
[...]
Buy this article as PDF
(incl. VAT)
Buy Linux Magazine
Subscribe to our Linux Newsletters
Find Linux and Open Source Jobs
Subscribe to our ADMIN Newsletters
Support Our Work
Linux Magazine content is made possible with support from readers like you. Please consider contributing when you’ve found an article to be beneficial.
News
-
Ubuntu Core 26 Offers Game-Changing Enterprise Features
Ubuntu Core 26 could be a game-changer for organizations looking for increased security and reliability.
-
AI Flooding the Linux Kernel Security Mailing List
AI is giving Linus Torvalds a headache, but not in the way you might think.
-
Top Priorities for Open Source Pros Seeking a New Job
Professional fulfillment tops the list, according to LPI report.
-
Container-Based Fedora Hummingbird Designed for Agent-First Builders
Fedora Hummingbird brings the same approach to the host OS as it does to containers to level up security.
-
Linux kernel Developers Considering a Kill Switch
With the rise of Linux vulnerabilities, the kernel developers are now considering adding a component that could help temporarily mitigate against them… in the form of a kill switch.
-
Fedora 44 Now Gaming Ready
The latest version of Fedora has been released with gaming support.
-
Manjaro 26.1 Preview Unveils New Features
The latest Manjaro 26.1 preview has been released with new desktop versions, a new kernel, and more.
-
Microsoft Issues Warning About Linux Vulnerability
The company behind Windows has released information about a flaw that affects millions of Linux systems.
-
Is AI Coming to Your Ubuntu Desktop?
According to the VP of Engineering at Canonical, AI could soon be added to the Ubuntu desktop distribution.
-
Framework Laptop 13 Pro Competes with the Best
Framework has released what might be considered the MacBook of Linux devices.